Royal Pain in the Ass (5 page)

“
I assure you, the pleasure is all mine.
”

James cleared his throat and gave us both a look which I wasn
’
t sure how to take.
 
Ben dropped my hand and led me to a black gelding.
  “
This is Zeus, he
’
s the gentlest horse we have here, he hasn
’
t a clue how big he is.
”

James easily mounted his white mare easily.
  “Thank you, Ben.”

“
Would you like a leg up?
”
Ben offered, cupping his hands.
 
I looked down at my converse, they weren
’
t exactly made for riding, but oh well.
 

“
That would be lovely.
” 
I let him help me up and it took me a moment to get situated.
  I
’
d learned to how to ride western.
 
There hadn
’
t been a need for me to learn English back then.
 
I figured I
’
d just go with it.

“
That will be all, Ben.
  I
’
ll take it from here.
”
James said, his tone was curt, and despite the friendly look on his face, it was obvious that it was an order.
 

“
As you wish, Master James.
  Lady Juliet.”

I watched Ben disappear into the barn and turned my attention back to James.
 
James began to show me around the grounds, where the gardens were, the riding trails, the lake.
 
James stopped his horse abruptly by the lake.
   “
Juliet,
”

“Yes?”

“
You are so much like her.
”

“
What?
”

“
You are so much like Rose.
”

“
I have a question for you.
”

“
What is that?
”

“
Why didn
’
t you try to get a hold of me sooner?
 
Why wait over twenty years?
 
Why wait until after Mom . . .
”

“
I didn
’
t know.
” 
There was a raw look in his eyes.
  “
Apparently Rose had her will set up to send me a letter upon the event of her death.
 
She must have written it years ago.
”

I eyed him suspiciously.
  “
How could you not know?
”

James sighed.
  “
Did your mother ever speak of me?
”

“
No, not really.
  
Whenever I asked, she
’
d just get a faraway look in her eyes and always had a sad smile.
 
She said you were her first love.
 
She never mentioned your name, and it made her so sad, so eventually I just stopped asking.
”

James nodded.
  “
I did love your mother,
”

“
Then why didn
’
t you stay with her?
”

James looked taken aback.
  “Pardon?”

“
You broke her heart, you know that, right?
 
Seeing me everyday couldn
’
t have helped.
 
Come on, I look just like you.
”

James was staring at the reigns in his hands.
 
The look on his face stopped my rant.

“
Why did you leave her?
”

James looked up at the sky.
  “
I was a fool.
 
My father condemned us.
 
I was blind and a fool.
 
There has not been a day that has passed that I have not thought of her.
 
I tried to talk to her.
 
I sent letter after letter to her.
 
She never responded.
 
I had no idea you even existed.
 
If I had known -
”

“
Then what?
 
Then you feel obligated?
 
No wonder she didn
’
t tell you.
”

A dark look crossed James
’
s face.  “
She had no right to keep this from me.
”

“
She had every right.
”
I growled back.
  “
If you really loved her, you would have come for her.
 
She didn
’
t want you to come back because you felt responsible to.
 
She was a remarkable woman, and I have the utmost respect for her and every decision she made.
”

James pinched the bridge of his nose.
  “
You are so much like her, but you are still a child.
”

“
I am not a child,
”

James let out a low chuckle.
  “
I wish I had known.
 
I would have liked to see you grow into the woman you are today.
”

I eyed him suspiciously.
  “
I don’
t trust you.
”
I offered after a moment of silence.

James looked started by that.
  “
Why is that?
”

“
I find it hard to trust someone that could just let someone they claimed to have love just walk out of their lives.
 
Not only that, the circumstances are a little strange.
 
Something in this equation doesn
’
t add up.
  I
’
m missing something.
 
I don’
t understand why out of the blue you would just invite me out here.
 
You didn
’
t bother to come to me, you had me come to you, and I feel like there is a piece of this I can
’
t see yet.
 
It bothers me.
 
So, until I figure it out, I
’
m not going to be able to trust you, or anything in this situation.
 
I don’
t mean any disrespect, but if nothing else I
’
m honest.
”

“
You are wise beyond your years.
 
Trust is something many people give out far too freely.
 
I understand your reluctance.
”

I didn
’
t know what to say to that, so I didn
’
t say anything.

“
Please, tell me more about yourself.
” 
James offered after a long moment of silence.

I shrugged.
  “
What do you want to know?
”

“
Whatever you want to trust me with, anything you want to tell me.
”

I shrugged again.
  “Um, I
’
m twenty-one, I have my own house, my own car, I manage at a restaurant back home.
 
I worked my way through college.
 
I play cello and surf.
 
I like to read and paint.
 
I don’
t really know what to say.
”

“You
’
ve done all that?
”

“Yes,”

“
All by yourself?
”

“Yeah,”
I replied giving him a questioning look.

“
That
’
s extraordinary.”

“Thank you?”

“
You have a degree?
”

“Yes,”

“
In what?
”

“Litereature and Music Performance.”

“
Are you planning on becoming a musician?
”

I shrugged.
  “I
’
m not really sure what I want to do.
 
I mean, I earned a spot in the Orlando Philharmonic, but I
’
m not sure if I
’
m going to accept yet or not.
”

“
Why wouldn
’
t you?
”

“
I don’
t know if I want to commit my life to playing music.
 
If I accept this position and I
’
m only half in it, I
’
ve taken it from someone who truly wants it.
 
Until I
’
m sure, I asked for a leave of absence.
”

 “
You play cello?
”

“Yes,”

“
How do you like it?
”

“
I love it.
 It
’
s one of my favorite things in the world.
”

“
Then why the hesitation?
”

“
I pay cello because I want to, because I love it.
 
If I take this position, it becomes an obligation.
 
I don’
t want my passion to become an obligation.
”

James nodded.
  “
You are remarkable.
 
I truly wish I
’
d had the chance to see you grow up.
”

I felt my face flush. 
I didn
’
t know how to react to that.
 
I wasn
’
t sure how I felt about James yet.
 
I didn
’
t trust him, and I couldn
’
t understand him.
 
I couldn
’
t understand someone leaving someone you were so in love with as it seemed.
 
I couldn
’
t help but wonder if things just weren
’
t as they seemed.
 
Above all else, I didn
’
t understand his sudden desire to know me.
 
I didn
’
t understand why he would go to the trouble to bring me out here on a whim.
 
I mean, yes, I might be his daughter, but he didn
’
t know that for sure.
 
Especially when I was still in the states.
 
His wife and daughter obviously hated me, so me being here was clearly was causing friction between them if nothing else.
 

“
Juliet?
”

I snapped out of my daze.
  I hadn
’
t realized I
’
d drifted off into la la land just staring out at the water.
  “Yes?”

“
We should probably start heading back, lunch will be served soon.
” 
James turned his horse around and we headed back through the grounds, taking a different direction than we had come and he showed me more of the grounds.
 

We returned to the main house and the same lab tech as before handed James an envelope and left.
 
James took a deep breath.
  “
Are you ready?
” 
He asked, as he held up the envelope.
 
I nodded.
 
He tore it open and confirmed what we both already knew.
 
I was, in fact James Eastgate
’
s daughter.